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With competitive pressures placing an increasing dependence on the ability of organizations to deliver customer‐adapted products quickly and on time, logistics has been an area that has been subjected to investigation. While there is a growing evidence of organizations increasingly seeking to outsource their logistics activities, there have been few comprehensive studies on the outsourcing of logistics in the Middle Eastern region. The purpose of this paper is to examine the usage of third party logistics (TPL) services in Saudi Arabia.

Empirical research is used to study the extent firms use the services of logistics companies; the time period these have been used; the decision‐making process for choosing contract logistics and its impact on the organization.

Results based on the analysis of data relating to 496 firms in Saudi Arabia indicate that most of these users are satisfied with the services providers and has largely seen positive developments within the organization.

The results provide managers with evidence supporting the benefits of logistics outsourcing. The study also contains useful information for the providers of contract logistics services on the most frequently used services.

This study makes a significant addition to literature on logistics outsourcing as little empirical research has been previously reported from Arab world and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia to establish linkages between organizations and TPL providers. Moreover, the results of this study will also serve as a future benchmark for the entire Gulf Cooperation Council region, as Saudi Arabia happens to be the largest country in the Middle East.

It has been argued in the literature that quality assurance is a relative concept. In view of the new challenges (and opportunities) created by e-learning institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, this paper aims to explore the dimensions of quality assurance in e-learning and test the psychometric properties of the underlying dimensions.

A sequential mixed methods approach was applied in this study. In the qualitative phase, items were generated using the inductive and deductive approaches. This was then followed by the quantitative phase where data was collected from 275 senior academics, scholars and administrators associated with e-learning institutions in Kuwait, UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The findings of this study revealed that e-learning quality assurance is a multidimensional construct. The dimensions of accreditation, assessment, accountability and benchmarking were identified. Further, the model demonstrated adequacy in its validity and reliability.

In the light of proliferation of e-learning courses in GCC countries, the results of this are invaluable to enable administrators and instructors to design strategy and foster innovation in the domain of quality assurance. E-learning institutions operating in a competitive environment have to design and implement an effective strategy to achieve innovation, uniqueness and diversity in the educational sector of their countries.

This paper has successfully validated an e-learning quality assurance questionnaire, which can be used effectively for evaluating e-learning programmes.

This study aims to investigate and point out the variations of agency theory in the context of Sharīʿah governance in Islamic banking operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The study followed the approach of quantitative Corporate Governance Index (CGI) by computing the Gov-index (Gompers et al., 2003) and the Gov-score (Brown and Caylor, 2004; Saffieddine, 2009) to examine corporate governance (CG) issues using primary as well as secondary data. The primary data was generated from three full-fledged Islamic banks (IBs) and nine traditional banks with Islamic banking wings, all operating in the KSA. The approach was to provide an insight into the agency structure in the context of Islamic banking, which may lead to a trade-off between the conformity of Sharīʿah (Islamic law) rules and processes followed in safeguarding the rights of investors.

The majority of the Islamic banking services that are surveyed in this study acknowledge the significance of Sharīʿah governance and have implemented the fundamental methods, in conformity with this system. Certain flaws in Sharīʿah governance principles pertaining to audit, control and transparency are reported.

The research outcomes will be invaluable to IBs aiming to improve existing SG practices. It also has implications for IB managers to design strategies while complying with regulations and to protect the interests of all investors without breaching the ethics of Sharīʿah.

This paper adds original value to the body of knowledge on agency relationship by analysing the dynamics of agency theory in the unique and complex context of Sharīʿah governance of IBs or those offering Islamic products in the KSA. The results can be used as a valuable feedback for improvement of Sharīʿah governance in the banking system in the KSA and the Gulf region at large.

The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of service quality on student’s satisfaction.

Using empirical research, the study identified previously validated scales of service quality and student satisfaction. Using the SERVPERF scale, data were collected from 279 students studying in public and private universities across Saudi Arabia. The model fit of the scale was assessed to ensure that the data produced accurate outcomes. Structural equation modelling was used to test the effects of independent variables on dependent variables.

The results suggest that four of the five dimensions of service quality, namely, tangibility, reliability, responsiveness and assurance had a significant effect on students’ satisfaction. Empathy was not found to contribute to student satisfaction. The findings broaden and deepen our understanding of how the dimensions of service quality reinforce students’ satisfaction.

Future research can also incorporate in the model other variables, academic and non-academic, related to student satisfaction.

The results have useful implications for decision-makers in higher education institutions who strive to enhance students’ satisfaction and increase the quality of higher education programmes, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region in general.

This study uses the SERVPERF scale, which is empirically superior to the SERVQUAL scale for measuring student satisfaction.

The purpose of this paper is to measure the quality of service from customers' perspective. With an enormous growth in internet banking, this paper discusses how banks can be competitive by providing quality services.

This study is based on a questionnaire survey conducted in Saudi Arabia. Based on an extensive review of literature, the paper uses empirical research to analyse service quality of internet banking services provided by banks in Saudi Arabia.

Results based on a factor analysis identify three factors that influence users' evaluation of service quality of internet banking services. These factors are labelled as “efficiency and security”, “fulfilment” and “responsiveness”.

This research is useful for banks in order to improve service quality and retain/gain a share of the market in a highly competitive industry.

The findings are important to enable bank managers to have a better understanding of customers' perception of service quality of internet banking and consequently of how to improve their satisfaction with respect to the online aspects of service quality.

This paper makes a valuable contribution given the fact that there are only a limited number of comprehensive studies dealing with the assessment of electronic service quality in banking environment.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the quality practices of European pharmaceutical manufacturers to determine the level of readiness of this industrial sector to implement and/or sustain lean manufacturing (LM).

An assessment framework developed by Al-Najem et al. (2013) was adapted to evaluate how ready European pharmaceutical manufacturers are to implement and/or sustain LM. Therefore, the lean readiness (LR) level of these organisations was assessed through six quality practices related to LM. These included: processes, planning and control, human resources, top management and leadership, customer relations, and supplier relations. One research question and three hypotheses were formulated and tested using a combination of descriptive statistics and non-parametric Mann-Whitney tests. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire distributed to 310 European pharmaceutical manufacturers and responded by 37 of these organisations.

Overall, the results of this study indicate an inadequate level of LR for the participating firms. Simultaneously, it was concluded that factors such as company size, type of relationships with suppliers and ISO 9000 certification do not have an effect on the quality practices, and hence LR level, of European pharmaceutical manufacturing organisations.

This study provides crucial information regarding the LR level of European pharmaceutical manufacturers, which can now be aware of the areas in their practices that require further improvement towards a successful lean journey. Simultaneously, organisations in the pharmaceutical sector that intend to implement LM can consider the results of this study and evaluate their readiness level. Managers can, therefore, refer to this research and use it as a platform to take better decisions regarding what quality aspects of their operations need to be enhanced to successfully deploy or sustain a lean strategy.

This research is one of the very few studies that have focussed on evaluating whether the European pharmaceutical manufacturing industry is ready to successfully implement or sustain LM. Therefore, this research expands the limited existent body of knowledge of LM in this industry.

The internet creates ample opportunities to start a mobile social commerce business. The literature confirms the issue of customer trust for social commerce businesses is a challenge that must be addressed. Hence, this study aims to examine the antecedents of trust in mobile social commerce by applying linear and non-linear relationships based on partial least squares structural equation modeling and artificial neural network model.

This study applied a non-linear artificial neural network approach to provide a further understanding of the determinants of trust in mobile social commerce based on a non-linear and non-compensatory model. Besides, a questionnaire was distributed to 340 social commerce customers in Malaysia.

The conceptual framework for investigating trust in mobile social commerce has various advantages and contributions to predicting consumer behavior. The results of the study showed there is a positive and significant relationship between social support, presence and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology2 (UTAUT2). In addition, UTAUT2 has fully mediated the relationship between social support, presence and trust in social commerce. Finally, the results concluded the relationship between UTAUT2 and trust in social commerce would be stronger when the diffusion of innovation and innovation resistance is high and low, respectively.

The current study provides a novel perspective on how customers can trust social m-commerce to provide real solutions to managers of encouraging e-marketing among consumers.

This paper shows how businesses can develop trust in social m-commerce in Malaysian markets. The findings of this study probably could be extended to other businesses in Asia or other countries. Because trust in social e-commerce has a dynamic role in consumer behavior and intention to purchase.

This study provided a new perspective on mobile social commerce and paid more attention to an investigation of such emerging commerce. The originality of this study is embodied by investigating an integrated model that included different theories that presented new directions of trust in mobile social commerce through social and behavioral determinants.

This study explores the intricate relationships between greenwashing (GW), negative word-of-mouth (NWoM) and brand avoidance (BA), emphasizing the pivotal roles of green perceived risk (GPR) and green trust (GT). By analyzing these dynamics, the study sheds light on the effect of GW on consumer reactions and behaviors toward brands engaging in green marketing practices.

The current study used a survey dataset of 512 customers in Saudi Arabia and applied partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to assess the paths within the proposed model.

The findings of this study indicate that consumers’ perceptions of GW can harm brands. Specifically, GW positively influences BA through both GPR and GT. Moreover, GW directly affects NWoM and indirectly via GPR.

The study provides actionable insights for practitioners, emphasizing the importance of avoiding deceptive green marketing (i.e. GW) to build consumer trust and reduce negative behaviors like BA and NWoM. By adopting transparent practices and leveraging third-party environmental certifications, brands can enhance credibility, mitigate risks and maintain customer loyalty in sustainability-focused markets.

Drawing on signaling theory and expectancy violation theory, this study builds a new framework to highlight the harmful effects of GW on brands. By integrating these theories, the framework effectively explains how GW can trigger extreme responses such as NWoM and BA, thereby contributing to research that has previously overlooked the connections between these factors.